FINDING & BOOKING A VENUE

Finding a venue to host your work is one of the trickiest and most critical tasks of your Fringe producing experience. Fortunately, you have several options and lots of ways to find help in your quest. If you ever need pointers, tips, or advice, please contact support.

We suggest you begin your search early – the earlier the better.

Remember, Fringe venues can be anywhere: theatres, clubs, bars, restaurants, found spaces, outdoor spaces…anything you have rights/permission to control for the duration of your events/performances/exhibitions.

To see an overview of the spaces currently available during the Fringe, check out this grid.

GEOGRAPHY

There are certain restrictions on where the venue can be located. All venues must fall in the (approx) square mile area that is central Hollywood: Gardner to the West, Franklin to the North, Normandie to the East, and Rosewood to the South. Any venue within that area that you have legal rights to use and is deemed safe by our venue team is acceptable.

Here are some general pointers:

The Hollywood/Highland area is the hub of the tourist traffic in Hollywood including a major shopping center and landmarks such as the Chinese Theatre.

The strip along Hollywood between Vine and Highland boasts the “Walk of Fame”, also popular amongst tourists.

The stretch along Santa Monica Blvd is known as “Theatre Row” and has a wide assortment of theatres.

Sunset Blvd. has lots of restaurants, stores, and clubs popular with the after hours set.

Cahuenga is a great central route through Hollywood and has a number of shops and restaurants.

EXISTING FRINGE VENUES

The best place to start your search is with the venues already participating in the Fringe – most of whom are seeking programming. We’ve invested a lot of time recruiting some of the big players in the neighborhood and getting them excited about Fringe. You can view a list of venues here. Once you have created a project you can apply to one of these venues directly. Feel free to apply to more than one.

When dealing with venue managers, it may serve you to contact them directly (phone/email) to discuss your project and the prospects of staging it in their venue. This personal touch may give you the edge you need. Remember, the key in any real estate transaction is persistence and resilience. If your first choice falls through – don’t give up!

BRING YOUR OWN VENUE

There is nothing Fringier than finding some abandoned warehouse, loft space, or storefront and temporarily converting it into a Fringe venue. There is a tradition in many Fringe Festivals of this seasonal conversion of a “found space” into an operating venue for artistic projects.

Many budding presenters find/convert a space for their own artistic project, then make deals with other projects to share the costs of maintaining a space (perhaps covering your own rent or even making a profit!). This sort of artistic entrepreneurship is welcome and encouraged. The Fringe will even list your venue on our website to attract applications from other artistic projects.

When you are ready, you can begin the process by registering a venue here.

CUT A DEAL!

This avenue is particularly useful for local producers – or producers tapped into the local scene. Do you have an existing relationship with a venue? Is that coffee shop you always go to in Hollywood interested in housing your Fringe act to attract more foot traffic? Many Fringe artists manage to obtain spaces for free by approaching existing businesses in the Fringe area and selling them on how a partnership with your artistic project is a “win, win” situation – it works for both the venue and your project.

Hit the streets, ask for managers at local institutions, wheel, deal, seek out opportunities!

IN CONCLUSION

Don’t be intimidated, there are lots of people here that want to help you succeed. The work is hard but the rewards are worth it. Fringe shows are fun to attend and doubly fun to produce. We are here to help you, so if you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to ask!